In light of the failed override, the Sudbury Public School Committee is sending this update concerning next year’s budget.
Development of the Budget-Balancing Plan
Since the budget process began last fall, the district has considered how best to address the projected revenue shortfall. Given the recent collective bargaining efforts, SPS could have maintained current staff and services for the 2010-2011 year within the limits of Proposition 2-1/2 but cuts in state aid and other revenue have created this shortfall. The Selectmen gave the taxpayers the choice of whether to fill this gap by approving an override.
The Superintendent worked closely with the administrative leadership team, the teachers’ association, and the School Committee to develop a budget-balancing plan, with opportunities for parent input throughout the process. The established Guiding Principles for development of the plan included:
- recognizing the classroom as our primary emphasis, including class size and adequate support and materials for teachers;
- maintaining safety and supervision; and
- maintaining the quality and breadth of our program and opportunities for students.
In particular, SPS considered important initiatives such as the enhancement of our early literacy program and our bullying prevention efforts (which are now required by state law). The district also must meet requirements for state and federal testing and reporting, municipal and school finance, special education, transportation, and other services. A wide range of options were considered, from reduction of elementary library or Spanish instruction (requiring other staffing to cover this specialist block) to reduction of guidance, literacy, administration or other supports. While none of the proposed reductions were desirable, the district worked carefully to provide the best plan in the interest of the students.
As we approached Town Meeting, revenue projections were adjusted to reflect new state aid information. On April 2, the School Committee approved a new budget-balancing plan which was presented at Town Meeting. This plan provided for the elimination of:
4.5 teachers
1.0 Middle School House Administrator
1.0 English Language Arts curriculum leader
1.0 custodian
The elimination of these positions cut $398,712 from the budget, in addition to a $281,688 cut in expenses.
Impact of the Budget-Balancing Plan
Since the override vote, the district has moved forward to implement the announced plan. These reductions cannot be made without adversely affecting the quality of education, given the elimination of 22 FTE positions at SPS just two years ago.
Thus, 4.0 elementary classroom teaching positions were eliminated – one from each of the following grades: Loring 4th grade, Nixon 4th grade, Noyes 4th grade, and Haynes 5th grade. Had override funding been approved, each of these grades would have maintained current class sizes or (at Haynes) added a section to accommodate redistricting enrollment shifts. Some of these classes will now have 28 or 29 students per section. The posted staffing worksheet shows the impact on the number of classes and class sizes. This means that 21 of the 76 Grade 1-5 sections will be larger than indicated by our class size guidelines; approximately 30% our students district-wide will be in classes over guidelines. In addition to these elementary teaching positions, the district eliminated 0.5 of an English Language Learner teaching position. The elimination of the Curtis administrator will increase the ratio of students to house administrators from approximately 350:1 to 527:1. Thus, response time to parent concerns and student issues will be diminished. In addition to supervising and evaluating teachers, the administrators also work with staff to address student academic and social development as well as disciplinary actions. Our administrators are also educational leaders and accountable for increasing the learning of all students. The time spent in this area will be decreased.
Other Staff Changes
The non-override budget layoffs are being implemented at the same time as other significant staff changes:
- One Full-Day Kindergarten section has been added to Nixon to accommodate increased enrollment and demand for Full-Day Kindergarten. The addition of this K section is cost neutral, because 0.5 of the teaching position will be paid by K fees and 0.5 of the position will be paid by a 0.5 reduction of a speech teacher position. This shift is allowed by a more efficient allocation of special education resources. Due to redistricting, we have more flexibility to locate similar special programs together and thus share more resources. The class size/staffing chart shows a net loss of 3.0 sections, due to the loss of the 4 upperelementary positions and the addition of 1 Kindergarten section.
- The district is reorganizing special education staffing, primarily by adding special education teaching positions and eliminating teaching assistant positions. This shift is cost-neutral, but is designed to make more effective use of resources and meet changing student needs.
- Other positions have been reduced or eliminated due to enrollment shifts.
The elimination of positions (from non-override cuts and other staff changes) leads to the reassignment of some staff or the layoff of individuals in other positions due to union seniority rules. These layoffs have resulted in the loss of valuable staff members who have contributed to the excellence of our schools.
Budget Communications
The district has provided information about the budget at numerous school committee meetings, two Finance Committee hearings, six budget forums, Town Meeting, superintendent and principal coffees, and other venues. Relevant information has been regularly updated on the district website.
Campaign finance laws limit the district's ability to use public funds including email to distribute budget information, in particular about the non-override budget impacts, prior to an override vote. SPS makes information publicly available for anyone interested. We consulted with the Office of Campaign and Political Finance, seeking to distribute as much information as allowed. State officials confirmed the limits on school district email distribution, noting that information is appropriately distributed by properly formed municipal ballot question committees, which can distribute information without the use of public resources. Such committees, whether in support or opposition to a ballot question, must organize and file certain information to ensure any spending is in compliance with the campaign finance laws.
Moving Forward
Since the failure of the override, some have raised questions about possible alternatives to the resulting layoffs and loss of positions. Without a special Town Meeting, the town of Sudbury cannot use any additional state aid that may become available or change the budget allocation voted at Town Meeting.
Throughout the process, numerous alternatives to the adopted budget-balancing plan, including staff and expense reductions, have been carefully analyzed and considered. The elimination of staff positions always involves trade-offs. While other layoff plans certainly may be viable, the adopted plan seeks to minimize the impact of staff reductions on the quality of education by striking the best balance among competing concerns. We reject suggestions that the Superintendent or others have failed to consider significant cost-saving opportunities or easy alternatives that would not have affected core services. We firmly believe that the budget balancing plan best positions the district to continue providing the best possible education given fiscal constraints.
As we move forward, we will continue our multi-pronged effort to improve on the excellence of education while making the most effective use of our resources. This involves: the ongoing analysis of efficiencies internally and across districts and town departments; consideration of fees, other revenue generation efforts, and grant opportunities; and finding new and creative ways to provide services. We always appreciate your input and questions.